NEW YORK — The New York Yankees endured their worst defeat of the season Saturday, falling 12-1 to the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. The lopsided result handed New York its eighth consecutive loss to its rivals and dropped them 1.5 games behind Boston in the American League wild card standings.
The Red Sox entered the Bronx in poor form after losing seven of their previous 10 games and three straight series. But against the Yankees, they are thriving.
A crowd of 45,512 watched in disbelief as chants of “Let’s go Red Sox!” echoed around the Stadium during the ninth inning. By the final out, many in the stands were booing the Yankees as they trudged off the field.
“Unacceptable,” said Giancarlo Stanton, who produced New York’s lone run with a fourth-inning home run. “We all know that.”
Crochet dominates, Yankees wilt
Boston starter Garrett Crochet further strengthened his Cy Young case by silencing the Yankees again. The left-hander allowed just one run on five hits in seven innings, striking out 11 on 103 pitches.
It was Crochet’s second time overpowering New York this season. He previously held them to one run across 8.1 innings in a June 13 start at Fenway Park.
The Yankees offense managed only seven hits all day. Before Stanton’s homer, they had been scoreless for 16 straight innings stretching back to Thursday’s opener.
Early miscues set the tone
Rookie right-hander Will Warren took the loss after allowing five runs across four-plus innings. His outing unraveled in the third inning. Catcher Austin Wells failed to hold on to a playable foul pop by Alex Bregman, extending the inning. Two batters later, Trevor Story ripped a two-run double that gave Boston a lead it never surrendered.
Story continued his dominance against New York with a double and a home run as part of a three-RBI day. In his past eight games against the Yankees, he is 13-for-33 with 11 runs driven in.
Roman Anthony and Bregman added sacrifice flies. Stanton’s 16th homer briefly cut into the margin, but Boston’s lead quickly widened again.
“I just didn’t really get the off-speed going, so I was trying to rely on my heater, and they took advantage of it,” Warren said.
Warren lasted only four innings, giving up seven hits and three walks. His command faltered, and his inability to establish secondary pitches proved costly.
Ninth inning meltdown caps disastrous day
The low point came in the ninth inning when newly signed Paul Blackburn was shelled for seven runs in his Yankees debut. Claimed off waivers from the Mets just days earlier, Blackburn endured a nightmare introduction.
Anthony Volpe’s throwing error — his 17th of the season — drew boos from the crowd. His misfire on a routine grounder sailed over Ben Rice at first base and into the dugout.
Blackburn later balked home a run before Carlos Narvaez blasted a two-run homer. By the end of the frame, the Red Sox had collected seven hits, three RBI singles, and two home runs.
“Frankly, the Yankees are getting embarrassed on the field at Yankee Stadium,” broadcaster Michael Kay said during the telecast.
Yankees fall behind in wild card race
The defeat dropped New York to 69-60 while Boston improved to 71-59, seizing the top AL wild card spot. The Red Sox have now won eight of nine meetings this year, outscoring the Yankees 54-31.
The Yankees had entered the series riding momentum from a five-game winning streak on the road in St. Louis and Tampa Bay. That momentum quickly evaporated.
New York is now 11-20 against American League teams currently holding playoff spots. Against the Red Sox and Blue Jays, the clubs above them in the AL East, they are just 4-15.
“We’ve got to play better,” Judge said. “That’s what it comes down to. Coaches can’t fix that, fans can’t fix that, media can’t fix that. It’s the players in this room. We’ve got to step up.”
Boone calls weekend ‘really crappy’
Yankees manager Aaron Boone did not hold back after watching his team get outscored 19-2 over the past two games.
“Feels real crappy,” Boone said. “We’ve got to play better. We’ve got to play better against these quality opponents in our division, but we can’t erase what’s been a really crappy weekend so far for us other than putting our best foot forward tomorrow.”
With a little more than a month left in the season, Boone acknowledged the urgency.
“We’re not running out of time,” the Yankees boss said. “But if we don’t do better, then it’s going to fizzle out and we’re not going to get where we want to be.”
Judge admits team is angry
Judge, who went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts, made it clear the clubhouse is feeling the pressure. The Yankees captain is hitting .218 since returning from the injured list.
“We’re definitely angry, especially against your rivals,” Judge said. “Don’t like the showing we’ve had here at home. We’ve got to step up.”
He stressed the need for the Yankees improve immediately.
“There’s nothing we can do about the past 100-something games we’ve played,” Judge said. “We’ve got to focus on what we can do now. That’s all we can do.”
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